SMS 2003 Addresses Customers’ Wish List

In the near future, Microsoft will be offering two additional feature packs: SMS 2003 Device Management Feature Pack (in beta 2 as of this writing) and the SMS 2003 Operating System Deployment Feature Pack. The Device Management Feature Pack will add SMS client support for Windows CE 4.2 and Windows Mobile 2003­based devices. With this feature pack, you'll be able to manage mobile devices as SMS clients just as you would manage desktops and servers. With the Operating System Deployment Feature Pack, you'll be able to deploy and upgrade OSs from the SMS Management Console. This feature pack has its roots in the Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) zero touch offering. (For more information about the zero touch offering, see http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/aug03/08-20bddsolutionsaccelpr.asp.)

The Administration Feature Pack, Device Management Feature Pack, and Operating System Deployment Feature Pack are components in Microsoft System Center 2005. Targeted for release in late 2004, System Center 2005 combines SMS 2003 and Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 to provide integrated enterprise management capabilities. For more information about System Center 2005, see the sidebar "Future Plans to Integrate SMS and MOM."

A Noteworthy Successor
SMS 2003 builds on its predecessor by providing the best features of SMS 2.0, augmenting others, and replacing features that didn't work well. The original goal of SMS was to facilitate CCM by creating a powerful and scalable management infrastructure. SMS 2003 has taken a big step forward in achieving that goal. Ultimately, SMS should help you lower your organization's cost of operations and increase the productivity of your existing staff.

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